Day Eight

For the next few days we will be adding a new tool to our tool chest (Boy, am I sick of that expression! We hear it every single day...) – this one is called “Solution-focused Brief Therapy (SFBT).”  The truth is this methodology is the one I have been utilizing throughout my rabbinic career. However, learning a more technically correct way of implementing it will be a great “tool.”  It is most applicable in a chaplain setting, and even more so in the context of the National Guard.  Classically, SFBT proponents suggest six or less sessions; in the military, it is taught to be implemented in two or less sessions. In the active-duty military, there is an inherently nomadic aspect to the troops; your relationship with a client may not be able to last very long.  In the case of the Guard, by dint of the fact that a drill weekend is only two days long with an intervening month, being able to address an issue in one to two days is practically a necessity.

One of the funniest moments of the day occurred at my expense. As a prelude to the class, the instructor gave us a classic ethical dilemma, entitled, “Who would you save?”  It presumes a nuclear holocaust occurred and lists eleven survivors besides you. However, only six – in addition to you – are allowed to survive in the shelter. You have to look at the bios of the eleven people and make your decisions based on the bios. Our group decided that a priority would be to save the child-bearing women, as procreation would be necessary to repopulate the world.  One of the eleven is a 3-month old baby girl, and I suggested that while she is not of child-bearing years, she would be for the next generation. While the other ladies may have children, they could all be boys; saving the baby girl would ensure there would be at least ONE girl for the next generation. Well, I was the spokesman for our group, and when I presented the fact that a) our priority was child-bearing women, and b) we would save the baby girl, someone asked, “Who would sleep with a three-month old girl?” I was going to explain our reasoning, so I raised my hand…  Doh!!! It took a few minutes to regain the class’s composure…

In the afternoon, class was interrupted so we could attend an awards ceremony, which was not only a nice diversion, but also allowed us to spend twenty minutes in a properly air-conditioned room. Did I mention that the A/C in our classroom barely works? And that it is 95 degrees outside?

We were dismissed early, as we have a bunch of homework, so I went to my room and worked out for 45 minutes before cracking the books – I HAVE to lose some inches off my waist; this is getting embarrassing!